This will be my third Bikes, Blues and BBQ event to cover, so I had been brainstorming in the weeks prior to the event a fun project to work on. I wanted something that would be a challenge and a great way to showcase just how important this motorcycle rally is to those that attend. Most of my ideas would have taken a little too much time and planning to execute, so my excitement for the rally fizzled. Luckily, while walking around Wednesday, day one of the event, a light bulb came on in my head – what about the license plates?!

Bikers come from all over for this event and what better proof exists of their long trek than the vehicle that brought them here (both as a fan and as a literal means of transportation). I decided to also dabble more into the social media aspect of modern journalism by photographing the bikes using Instagram. I have been against Instagram for a long time (I don’t have time to explain) but I thought, for several reasons (including ease, customization and platform interest) Instagram would be a great tool to use. I was also inspired by my coworker, fellow NWA Media and Hawgs Illustrated Photographer, Jason Ivester. Ivester used Instagram to document a trip along Route 66 earlier this year.

As someone how prefers to ride on the back on a motorcycle than look at them, it was really interesting to see how different they all are. Each bike was unique in either the placement of the plate or decoration around it.

For the next few days, I will attempt to get a photograph of a bike from every state. It will be hard, but fun. I will try to update this blog every day to record which states I still need. If you see any bikes from theses states, please tweet me (@NWASamantha) so I can hunt that bike down!

States I still need:

California

Connecticut

Delaware

Hawaii

Idaho

Maine

Massachusetts

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

North Carolina

North Dakota

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wyoming

About

I'm originally from Colorado and I was introduced to photojournalism in high school while working on the school's yearbook. In 2011, I graduated from Colorado State University with degrees in journalism and art. This is my first âreal-worldâ job, but while in college I worked for CSU's daily student newspaper and I interned for Denver-based Westword, the Colorado Eagles (ACHL hockey team) and Johnson and Wales University. I cherish analog photography and I like to shoot on a medium-format Mamyia RB67 whenever I can. While I'm not at work, I enjoy doing all sorts of physical activities, especially mud runs and Crossfit, and I love to bake desserts (which are usually consumed by my coworkers).